The present invention relates to the field of dispensing viscous and semi-viscous food products that do not flow sufficiently well by simple gravity force. In particular, the invention relates to dispensers adapted for receiving a removable supple bag or pouch containing a viscous liquid food such as sauce, condiment, cream and the like.
In the food service industry, it is desirable to serve a wide variety of viscous fluids such as sauce, mustard, ketchup, condiments, and the like in hygienic conditions and as conveniently as possible. For that, there are several known types of dispensing devices available.
Pump dispensers are commonly used. Ordinary, the foodstuff is moved and dispensed by controlled peristaltic action on a flexible hose connected to the pouch. However, there are several drawbacks to this system. In particular, the pouch must be equipped with a tubular resilient hose generally connected by a plastic fitment to the pouch that makes this combination pouch/fitment/hose rather costly to produce in mass production. Other disadvantages are obviously the extra-cost due to the addition of the pump in the dispenser and also the supplement in energy consumption.
Pumpless dispensers utilize both gravity and the mechanical force to dispense viscous fluids throughout the outlet of the bag. Such dispensing apparatuses provide an advantage of being capable of dispensing the food product without any motor actuated pumps. The pouch can also be made of two flat flexible sheets sealingly interconnected to define both the food storage reservoir and the outlet of the pouch. Such flat design is easy to manufacture and load, but such pumpless dispensers are subject to other drawbacks. These problems led to the widespread use of peristaltic pump dispensers in the foodservice industry despite their additional cost.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,120 to Evans, Sr. et al. discloses a pumpless cheese server being adapted to maintain inverted bags in a steam chamber while gravity influenced squeeze bars ride down the bag sides to express cheese toward the bag outlet fitment. More particularly, the pressure on the bag is carried out by a pair of squeeze rods that defines a bag receiving opening therebetween. The evacuation rate of the bag is relatively poor because of the presence of the opening that is necessary to permit the engagement of the bag between the squeeze rods. Therefore, a significant amount of food is left in the bag after the passage of the rods. Such an arrangement remains rather complicated and inconvenient when the empty bag has to be replaced by a new one. In particular, the pair of rollers has to be detached from the empty bag, then fitted to a new bag while taking care the rollers are not biased with respect to the bag which would cause blocking problems. In addition, when the bag is loaded with fluid product, it may be difficult to properly engage the pair of rollers through the upper portion of the bag. Furthermore, usual cheese or condiment bags can weigh in average 4-5 kilograms. Loading of the bag in the dispenser requires to manually lifting the bag so as to suspend the bag until locking the upper portion of the bag with hangers is performed. Depending upon the bag overall weight, this operation may be exhausting for the maintenance people.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,613 to Taylor et al. relates to a dispenser for viscous fluid having a hanging assembly for suspending a collapsible bag with a dispenser outlet extending from an opening at the bottom of a housing, and a pair of rollers riding in parallel pairs of slots vertically extending in opposite sides of the housing. Since the dispenser housing needs to be regulated in temperature to keep the bag warm or refrigerated, large side openings (or guide slots) in the housing are not desirable as it causes significant heat loss with the outside environment. Therefore, it takes more time to heat or cool a new bag to the required service temperature and the regulation is more energy consuming and safety or quality problems might occur more frequently. Furthermore, the housing is subjected more easily to introduction of dust, dirt and humidity that may cause important sanitary problems.
In this arrangement, the device also comprises a pair of rollers that can be separated when the housing is opened for engaging a new bag. However, the device is cumbersome as place for the two rollers must be saved accordingly. The rollers have to be joined by an elastic yoke provided on each external side of the housing making the arrangement complicated. Blocking problems are likely to occur, as the two rollers might not ride in a perfect parallel travel all along the length of the bag.
Moreover, loading of the bag also requires manual strength to lift the bag until it is properly suspended in the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,699 to Barchus also relates to an internally-coupled dual roller tube squeezing device for fluid materials such as toothpaste, shampoo, adhesive, or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,251 to Kirland relates to a flexible collapsible container containing medical liquids, a pair of rollers being arranged as a level indicator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,001 to Sha is an infusion apparatus for IV bags comprising a squeezing arrangement of two parallel rollers.
Therefore there are needs for dispensers that:
A. provides optimal and satisfactory evacuation rates of the food product without any significant amount of the food is left and therefore wasted in the pouch.
B. are capable of increasing the temperature of the pouch rapidly and of maintaining temperature of the food pouch at a very precisely controlled value, e.g., either at warm temperature for cheese sauce or at refrigerated temperatures for milk products.
C. complies with the heath and quality regulations and is properly protected from dirt ingress during service and is easy to clean.
D. does not require particular skill or strength for the people responsible for keeping the system in service and therefore is easy to load with the pouch.
None of the devices discussed above provides a satisfactory solution that can be applied as a recognized efficient standard in the food service industry. Accordingly, there remains a need for improved dispensing devices in this area.
The present invention relates to a pumpless dispenser especially intended for dispensing viscous fluid food products. The dispenser includes a housing configured and dimensioned for receiving a food pouch. The pouch has first and second ends, a sidewall that can be arranged to form first and second opposed surfaces, and an outlet, and is capable of containing the food product therein. The dispenser includes a compression assembly for pressing the pouch so as to urge the viscous fluid food product content toward the outlet.
This assembly includes means for pressing the pouch to dispense the food product through the outlet. The pressing means advantageously comprises a man pressing assembly having sufficient mass to move along the pouch under the influence of gravity to thus induce a flow of food product through the pouch outlet upon demand. This assembly also includes a compressible pressing surface that is positionable adjacent the first surface of the pouch. The pressing means preferably includes roller means, which more preferably is a roller having engaging portions that form gear portions for guiding the roller along guide means that are provided on the housing. The guide means thus includes complementary engaging surfaces that form gear tacks for the engaging portion of the roller.
The dispenser also includes a planar surface disposed adjacent the second surface of the pouch, and closure means engaged with the outlet for closing the outlet. The closure means also can open the outlet so as to cause the roller to move along the pouch surface toward the outlet by gravity for expelling the viscous fluid food product through the outlet.
In one embodiment, the planar surface is substantially vertically arranged along at least a major portion of the length of the pouch. In a preferred embodiment, the planar surface constitutes an interior surface of at least a portion of wall of the housing. This arrangement is less cumbersome as the portion of wall can be made significantly thinner than an additional weighted roller. This arrangement is also lighter in weight than conventional dispensers and is less subjected to blocking problems as the number of moving parts is reduced.
In a more preferred embodiment, the housing comprises an openable door; the portion of wall comprising the planar surface is at least a portion of door. Therefore, the system can be deactivated and reactivated by simply manipulating the door in order to change the pouch and replace it by a new one. The maintenance is so limited to a minimum thus saving labor time and improving reliability of the dispenser. In addition, the thickness of the pouch is no more a concern, as the device is able to absorb a wider range of thickness than conventional dispensers.
The closure means advantageously comprises a clamping assembly for selectively pinching the outlet of the pouch and releasing pinching to control the dispensing of the viscous liquid food product. Therefore, desired quantity of food dispensed is achieved by actuation of the closure means. The opening of the closure means will start the roller motion along the pouch.
Preferable, the dispenser comprises guiding means that are complementary arranged with the roller so as to guide the roller means in translation along a pressing path adjacent the first surface of the pouch. The roller is arranged to have at least an outer portion that is compressible upon pressing onto the first surface of the pouch. Therefore, the roller has the ability to compress when in contact with the pouch thereby progressively flattening the pouch in a more uniform manner and leaving no possible gaps between the roller means and the surface of the pouch. As the pouch has a natural tendency to form wrinkles as it progressively empties, the compressibility of the roller allows the roller to roll over the wrinkles without significant blocking problems. Making the roller compressible gives the possibility to place the roller closer to the surface of the pouch while the roller compresses, thereby forming less product seepage past the roller and more consistent movement of the roller along the pouch during dispense of the food product. As a result, the evacuation or dispensing rate is significantly improved.
Preferably, the roller is formed of an elongated main cylindrical portion comprising an inner weight and an outer sheath of a soft resilient compressible material. Preferably, the sheath of compressible material has been determined to confer significant advantages in the reduction of the blocking problems due to the formation of wrinkles and in the increase of the evacuation rate especially when the hardness is comprised in the range of 25 to 45 shore A, more preferably 28 to 35 shore A, and even more preferably about 30 shore A. In a preferred embodiment, the soft resilient material is an insulated rubber. Insulation by the sheath reduces the heat transfer from the inside of the housing to the core of the roller, thereby decreasing time for heating or refrigerating the housing and further promoting the temperature control within the housing. Preferably rubber is silicone rubber. A preferable thickness for the sheath is about 4 to 10 mm, and more preferably 5 to 7 mm.
In a preferred mode, the roller means further includes an external gliding surface made of a plastic non-porous film. In this manner, the surface of contact of the roller means is also made smoother and more uniform which consequently positively influences the evacuation of the food product as compared to the soft surface of the sheath. The outer surface of the roller can also be cleaned more easily and the durability of the sheath is also increased. The film is preferably resistant to stretching and withstands contact under pressure with hot surfaces. Food grade mono- or multilayer polyolefin materials are preferred. The film should also perform a tight encasing of the sheath. The film is preferably adhered to the sheath by an adhesive or is thermally heat shrunk onto the sheath. A suitable film thickness is between about 0.4 to 1.5 mm, and preferably 0.8 to 1.2 mm.
In another aspect, the dispenser of the invention further has retaining means which are further coupled to the roller and arranged to prevent the roller from disengaging the guiding means and falling off the dispenser, in particular, when the dispenser is opened for pouch replacement. Both the guiding means and retaining means are housed within the housing, thereby providing a substantially closed dispensing device providing more sanitary guarantees and furthermore providing a system that is easier to both put and maintain the food pouch in the required range of temperatures for servicing. The retaining means also ensures a more reliable functioning of the dispenser and limits the manipulation of the roller, in particular, at the time when a depleted pouch needs to be replaced by a full one.
In a preferred embodiment, the guiding means comprises a pair of side guiding tracks arranged to complementary receive a pair of side engaging means of the roller. The guiding tracks are even preferably tracks comprising portions of gears. The retaining means is arranged to prevent the engaging means both from misaligning laterally with respect to the side guiding tracks and from significantly disengaging from the guiding track in a direction away from its translation path.
A third beneficial aspect of the invention relates to the ease of loading of the pouch. For this, the housing of the dispenser comprises at least one panel comprising a support surface adapted to receive the pouch in a position adjacent to the support surface. The panel is moveable between a loading position whereby the pouch is capable of being laid at rest on the support surface and a dispensing position whereby the outlet is in a downwardly oriented configuration. The dispenser further comprises connecting means for securing the pouch onto the support surface of the moveable panel so that the pouch is maintained substantially adjacent to the support surface when moving the panel from its loading position to its dispensing position. Therefore, this configuration avoids requiring the user to lift the pouch while securing it within the housing. This is an advantage because lifting of the pouch can be inconvenient or exhausting, as the pouch can be relatively heavy and/or cumbersome to handle.
In another embodiment, the connecting means includes at least one clamping assembly comprising a bar-shaped pressing member having a first end pivotally attached to the panel and a second end adapted to securely engage a latch member attached to the panel. The bar-shaped pressing member is capable of exerting a pressure along at least two spaced apart positions along a portion of the pouch. Preferably, the portion of the pouch is a seal flange portion of the pouch. By providing such clamping configuration, the pouch is secured in a more convenient and efficient way. As a result, a significant amount of time can be saved in the refill operation of the dispenser. A single motion also properly and rapidly secures the pouch from the user on the clamping assembly. Securing of the pouch in an area away from the housing also provides more convenience for adapting large pouches that would otherwise be difficult to secure directly by hanging the pouch within the housing.
A first clamping assembly is preferably positioned in the upper region of the panel for securing the upper seal flange of the pouch. A second clamping assembly may also be positioned in the lower region of the panel for securing at least one lower portion of the seal flange of the pouch. Both first and second assemblies have a width adapted to support differing sizes of pouch.
In an interesting aspect of the invention, the second clamping assembly can be part of the closure means that is capable of selectively opening and closing the outlet of the pouch upon dispensing of the food product. For that, the panel includes the closure means which are capable of engaging with the outlet of the pouch for closing the outlet, with the closure means being capable of opening the outlet to dispense the food product when sufficient pressure is exerted to release the closure means from the outlet of the pouch. The closure means preferably comprises a first spring-biased half valve sub-assembly attached to the moveable panel and a second half valve forming the stationary part of the closure means. The second half-valve preferably includes the bar shaped member of the clamping assembly which is arranged in a face-to-face relation with the first spring-biased half-valve when the clamping member is in closed position to secure the lower part of the pouch against the support surface of the panel.
The types of viscous fluid food products that can be dispensed from this dispenser include cheese sauce, tomato sauce, gravy, salad dressings, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, cream, Mexican sauce or salsa, condiments, nutritional supplements and concentrates, ice cream, or even partly frozen beverages. The invention also dispenses the product at a relatively high efficiency with less loss of food products in the bag and a higher controlled level of extrusion of the food product. Furthermore, the device can accommodate a wide range of pouch thicknesses while still exerting an effective squeezing pressure thereon.
The present invention thus provides a new pumpless dispensing unit which is low cost, more convenient to maintain than conventional dispensers and easy to use by the consumer. In particular, empty bags can be replaced by full ones with less manipulations, less efforts and more reliability. The time for changing the bag is reduced and this is very valuable during peak hours in food service establishments. The risks of blocking problems in the device are also reduced.
Additional advantages are provided when the food product to be dispensed is to be heated or cooled. The dispensing device provides a rapid and economic warm-up of the food products for those that are required to be served warm and, similarly, a rapid and economic cooling of the food products that are required to be served as chilled or partly frozen products.
In particular, the planar surface may advantageously be thermally coupled to a conductive heating or cooling device which provides thermal transfer to the planar surface for heating or cooling the food product in the pouch. The planar surface constitutes a significant surface of contact for the pouch which favors the thermal transfers so as to reduce calorific or frigorific loss and accelerate warm-up or cooling of the food product.
Preferably, the planar surface is coupled to a heating device comprising electrical resistance elements attached to the planar surface. More preferably, the heating device is adhesively secured on one side of the planar surface. The heating device may comprise adhesive strips or bands and electrical resistance elements connected therewith such as wires, mat or equivalents.
In another embodiment, the heating device also comprises convection means attached to the housing which provide heating by hot air circulating within the housing.
In an even more preferred embodiment, the air-forced convection heating means are used as primary source of heat in the dispenser and the conduction heating means are coupled to the planar surface as a supplementary source of heat to ensure a faster warm-up of the food product in the dispensing device.
In yet another embodiment, the dispenser comprises a cooling device using cold air-forced convection which can be used either alone or, even preferably, in combination with a supplementary thermoelectric cooler coupled to the planar surface.
The invention also relates to the pouch especially adapted for being used in the dispenser of the invention. The pouch comprises a main portion adapted for receiving a viscous fluid product, and an outlet portion integrally extending from the main portion. The main portion and the outlet portion are formed of at least one layer of flat plastic film securely sealed along at least a portion of peripheral seam in a substantially flat configuration. This arrangement of fitmentless pouch provides a uniform purge upon the passage of the roller while leaving a minimum remainder of food product within the pouch. The pouch can also be produced in a cost-effective manner by the commonly known method of form-fill-seal technique.